The Mantis Stalks the Cicada

The Xuan Yuan Sect's mission hall was located halfway up the main peak. The hall had three stories with upturned eaves and bracketed arches. Before the hall, crowds of people came and went ceaselessly.

As Qin Yuan crossed the threshold, a wave of noise from inside washed over him. Dozens of jade screens floated in mid-air, their surfaces shimmering with flowing light, displaying dense mission information. Disciples in the Qi Refining Stage crowded the first floor, while those in the Foundation Establishment Stage occupied the second. It was said that only inner sect elites or elders could accept missions from higher floors.

He walked straight towards the leftmost jade screen – missions posted there were mostly high-risk, high-reward.

His gaze swept over:

[Collect a hundred-year Blood Ganoderma. Location: Black Wind Cliff. Reward: Eighty mid-grade spirit crystals]

[Hunt a Three-Eyed Demonic Wolf, retrieve its demonic core. Reward: One hundred twenty mid-grade spirit crystals]

[Escort a merchant caravan to Qingzhou City. Reward: One hundred fifty mid-grade spirit crystals]

These missions were already the limit for those in the Qi Refining Stage, and even required several people to team up to complete. But what Qin Yuan was looking for was a big job that could gather enough resources for a system upgrade in one go.

Finally, in the bottom right corner of the jade screen, he saw a line of dark red text:

[Explore the abandoned mine "White Bone Cave", retrieve three "Yin Fiend Crystals". Note: This mine has shown unusual activity recently, suspected evil cultivators may be present. Mission Level: Qi Refining (Extremely High Risk). Reward: Three hundred mid-grade spirit crystals, one bottle of "Core Condensing Pills".]

Several Qi Refining Stage disciples nearby saw this mission and shook their heads, walking away.

"White Bone Cave? That place is extremely sinister. Last month, Senior Brother Wang formed a team of five and went in, but only two returned, and they were both driven mad."

"I heard the yin energy there is extremely heavy. Staying for too long in the Qi Refining Stage can damage one's foundation..."

Qin Yuan's eyes, however, lit up.

Three hundred spirit crystals, plus the Core Condensing Pills—although these pills weren't as precious as Foundation Establishment Pills, each one was worth fifty to sixty spirit crystals, and a bottle usually contained three. Together, it was enough to cover the shortfall for the system upgrade.

He reached out and touched the line of text. The jade screen flashed with a faint light, and the mission information transformed into a jade slip that fell into his palm.

"Are you sure you want to accept this?" The Steward at the registration desk looked up at him, his gaze pausing on Qin Yuan's gray robe. "Outer sect disciple? What level of Qi Refining?"

"Level ten," Qin Yuan gave a conservative number.

The Steward frowned. "For the White Bone Cave mission, it's recommended that disciples at level twelve of Qi Refining go as a team. Taking it alone is too risky."

"I'll take it," Qin Yuan's tone was calm.

The Steward shook his head and stopped trying to persuade him, recording the information on the jade book. Just as Qin Yuan turned to leave, a communication talisman in the Steward's sleeve shattered silently—it was a special instruction given by a manager from the Third Peak yesterday: "If you see an outer sect disciple named Qin Yuan in a gray robe coming to accept high-risk missions, report to me immediately."

When he walked out of the mission hall, the sun was already setting in the west.

Qin Yuan didn't rush to depart. He first went to the market to buy some antidote pills and evil warding talismans. He also purchased an ordinary iron sword as a disguise—the Mysterious Iron Sword was too conspicuous. Finally, he ate a bowl of plain noodles at a small stall before leisurely walking towards the mountain gate.

He walked steadily, even somewhat leisurely, but his divine sense had already spread out like a spiderweb.

The "Extreme Realm" of Qi Refining Level thirteen brought not only strength but also divine sense far exceeding that of his peers. Just three miles outside the mountain gate, he sensed three hidden auras following him a hundred paces behind.

They were not disciples from the Third Peak.

The three auras were cold and their footsteps were light. Their concealment techniques were extremely skilled; if not for Qin Yuan's special divine sense, he would never have discovered them. They were like three jackals waiting for an opportunity, maintaining a precise distance—neither getting close enough to alert him nor falling too far behind to lose their target.

Qin Yuan sneered inwardly.

Liu Zhenshan was quick. He wouldn't dare make a move openly, but he didn't hesitate to send assassins in secret.

He deliberately turned into a secluded mountain path, flanked by ancient trees reaching for the sky, their vines blocking out the sun. This was already the edge of the Xuan Yuan Sect's territory; beyond this lay true wilderness.

The three behind him followed even more closely.

After another half-mile, when they reached a clearing in the woods, Qin Yuan stopped.

"You've been following for so long, aren't you tired?"

His voice was not loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the silent mountain forest.

After a brief silence, three figures emerged simultaneously from behind trees, rocks, and bushes, forming a triangle around Qin Yuan.

All three wore dark gray martial attire, their faces ordinary, the kind you'd lose in a crowd. But their eyes—cold, numb, looking at Qin Yuan as if he were a corpse.

The scar-faced man in the middle licked his lips, "Kid, you're quite alert. Too bad, it's too late."

The one-eyed man on the left grinned, revealing a row of yellow teeth, "Someone paid three hundred spirit crystals for your life. Don't worry, we brothers are quick and clean. It won't hurt."

The short, thin man on the right said nothing, but slowly drew a pair of poisoned short blades.

Qin Yuan scanned the three, his judgment made: all were at Qi Refining Level twelve, but their auras were solid, clearly honed by countless battles. Their practical combat experience was far beyond that of sect disciples. Furthermore, their stances subtly formed an attack formation, indicating they were seasoned veterans accustomed to cooperation.

"The Qi Refining Stage assassin trio?" Qin Yuan suddenly recalled portraits he'd seen on the mission hall's wanted list. "Blood Hand, Lone Wolf, Scorpion. It's said that no less than thirty Qi Refining Stage cultivators have died by your hands. You specialize in taking assassination jobs for sects."

The scar-faced Blood Hand raised an eyebrow, "Oh, you've heard of us. Then you should know that no one we've targeted has ever lived."

"Not in the past," Qin Yuan slowly drew his iron sword. "After today, that will change."

Lone Wolf laughed heartily, "Big brother, this kid's quite arrogant!"

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Before his words even fell, the three figures lunged simultaneously!

Blood Hand attacked head-on, his iron palms emitting a bloody glow. His palm wind carried a foul stench, clearly indicating he practiced some kind of poisonous technique. Lone Wolf circled from the left, his chain spear like a venomous snake striking, aiming directly for Qin Yuan's waist. Scorpion was the most insidious, crouching low, sliding almost on the ground, his dual blades slashing towards Qin Yuan's ankles.

Fast, ruthless, accurate!

The three cooperated seamlessly, sealing off all of Qin Yuan's escape routes. An ordinary Qi Refining Level twelve cultivator facing such an encirclement would not last three breaths.

Qin Yuan did not retreat.

He didn't even look at the attacks coming from his left and right, his gaze fixed solely on Blood Hand in front of him.

He raised his iron sword and thrust it forward, horizontally.

There was no sword energy, no radiance, just the simplest straight thrust.

Blood Hand's expression changed drastically! As the ordinary iron sword came at him, he felt as if it carried the weight of a mountain. Before the tip even arrived, a terrifying pressure made it difficult for him to breathe!

"This is bad!" he roared, desperately clapping his palms towards the sword body.

"Clang--!!!"

Iron palms met iron sword, but the sound was that of metal striking metal. Blood Hand felt an irresistible force surge into his body along his arm, his internal organs shifting instantaneously!

"Pfft--!" He spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward, crashing through two large trees before hitting the ground. His chest had caved in, and he was clearly not going to survive.

At this moment, Lone Wolf's chain spear and Scorpion's twin blades had only just touched Qin Yuan's clothes.

Qin Yuan's left hand shot out, his fingers like hooks, precisely grabbing the head of the chain spear and yanking hard!

Lone Wolf was horrified to discover that his "Poison Dragon Spear," which he had practiced for twenty years, was actually caught barehanded. A tremendous force pulled him forward, and he was yanked off his feet.

Meeting him was Qin Yuan's raised right knee.

"Crack--!"

His chest bones shattered. Lone Wolf's eyeballs bulged, and he collapsed limply.

Finally, there was Scorpion. Seeing that the situation was dire, he didn't hesitate to abandon his attack. His body retreated rapidly, and at the same time, he threw out three poison darts, aiming straight for Qin Yuan's face!

Qin Yuan didn't even look. He casually swung his iron sword.

"Ding ding ding!"

All three poison darts were knocked away. Qin Yuan's figure, however, had already appeared before Scorpion like a phantom.

Scorpion's soul was terrified. He wildly swung his twin blades forward. Qin Yuan, however, merely extended a finger and tapped him on the center of his brow.

The movement was as gentle as brushing away dust.

Scorpion's movements froze, his pupils dilated, and he slowly fell to the ground. A small red mark appeared on his brow; his brain had been turned into mush by spiritual energy.

From the moment the three attacked to their complete annihilation, it took no more than five breaths.

Qin Yuan sheathed his sword, his breathing as steady as ever. He walked to the three corpses, removed their storage bags.

His divine sense swept over them, revealing a miscellaneous collection of items: poisons, hidden weapons, several sinister cultivation techniques, as well as about a hundred mid-grade spirit crystals and some scattered pills.

Qin Yuan took out all the spirit crystals and pills, silently thinking, "Feed."

[Feeding successful. Leveling progress +15%]

Still needed 5%.

He then fed all the sinister cultivation techniques and miscellaneous items.

[Feeding successful. Leveling progress +3%]

[Feeding successful. Leveling progress +2%]

As the last miscellaneous item vanished, the system panel in his mind erupted in brilliant golden light!

[Energy sufficient! System upgrading...]

[Upgrade successful!]

[One Day Ten Years Cultivation System → One Day Twenty Years Cultivation System]

[Current Level: 2 (0/5000)]

[New feature unlocked: Cultivation can be accumulated and stored, maximum storage time: three days]

Qin Yuan's breathing hitched.

Twenty years a day! And it could be accumulated and stored, meaning if he didn't extract it for three days, he could gain sixty years of cultivation all at once!

He suppressed the excitement in his heart and quickly cleaned up the scene, dragging the three corpses into a natural rock crevice and sprinkling them with Corpse Dissolving Powder. Moments later, only three puddles of yellow liquid remained.